Exterior quality

[batmann]

Went to the Indy 1500 Gun& Knife the week- end and it appears the "feeding frenzy" is over. Most calibes of ammo were available and prices are getting back to normal.
That said, I was cheching out various brands of MSR (AR style for us older guys) and I must say the exterior fit and finish on the few S&W I looked at were much better than the fit and finish on almost all of the other brand names that I looked at.
I compared finish of several side by side and I believe the M&P to be superior to the major competitors in the price class. If the exterior is better, it should stand to reason the major components should be better as well.
Again, this only my observation and I may be slightly biased as I own both an M&P 15 MOE and a M&P 22 MOE and have found both to be 100% reliable.
I do not intend to start a flame over who makes the best AR, but rather an observation based on just the fit and finish of the exterior.

[BillyJack2012]

Without a doubt, Smith makes a great AR. And yes, the finish is very nice compared to many but I wouldn't judge any book (or AR) by its cover. I've seen a few ARs that have a rough finish (Colt to be specific) but have excellent components in their build. I've also seen a great looking DPMS but know the quality of many components are below standard including a commercial buffer tube.

[bemisgt]

Fit and finish was one of the reasons I picked the M&P15 over others I was considering. Another was it looked good beside my 15-22.

[SmokeStack Lightning]

When I wuz checking out different models of new AR's, I was surprised how loose the uppers and lowers were when pinned and these thangs had never yet been abused.

My T has no lateral movement when pinned together and that factored into my buying decision.

Some guys can use their fingers to dis-lodge the takedown pins, but for the life of me, I can't do that. I gotta use a cheater.